UCF holds on against East Carolina

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The UCF men's basketball team peaked early and struggled late, but it was enough to top East Carolina 64-59 on Wednesday.

The victory marked the first time the Golden Knights (9-8, 3-1) have posted consecutive wins since their four-game win streak to open the season. And even with an inconsistent offensive performance and 14 turnovers for the night, the victory was something to build on, UCF Coach Kirk Speraw said.

"It's been a difficult stretch," Speraw said. "We've been up and down a lot. But we're making progress, we're taking small steps in the right direction."

The Golden Knights shot nearly 61 percent from the field and 57 percent from behind the 3-point arc in the first half, eclipsing the Pirates (6-12, 0-5), who shot for just 43 percent overall and 40 percent from the perimeter. UCF needed every one of those baskets to offset its lackluster second half in which the Golden Knights converted only 30 percent.

"I think in the second half they were making us take a little tougher shots and we were taking poorer shots that we shouldn't have taken," UCF guard Justin Rose said.

Fortunately for UCF, ECU was even more sluggish after halftime, converting only 26.9 percent of their shots. And while the two teams combined for 13 3-pointers in the first half, only one player in the arena -- UCF's Rose -- made one in the second.

UCF's first-half performance was keyed by senior forward Anthony Williams, who tallied 11 points in the first half but only three in the second under intensified defensive pressure from the Pirates. But Rose stepped up to finish off the home team, finishing the game with 18 to lead all scorers.

"I did think defensively we came out and did a better job against Anthony Williams," ECU Coach Ricky Stokes said of the second half. "But Justin Rose seemed to hurt us. He hit some big shots and some key rebounds."

ECU came out strong right after halftime and cut the Golden Knights' seven-point lead to two, but then UCF held the Pirates scoreless for more than four minutes. The Golden Knights never led by more than 10 and the Pirates cut the lead to five several times, but they could never make the critical baskets that would have turned the momentum.